Two ex-clerks sentenced after embezzling thousands from poor Missouri town

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two former clerks in a small, poor Missouri town have been sentenced to prison for writing hundreds of checks to themselves while the town struggled to provide basic services. Maureen Woodson, the 68-year-old former city clerk in Flordell Hills, was sentenced this week to 18 months in prison and ordered to repay $487,673. Her former assistant, 76-year-old Donna Thompson, was sentenced to a year and a day and ordered to repay $159,903. Prosecutors said they spent the money on gambling and personal expenses. Flordell Hills, which has about 800 mostly Black residents, had to delay services, borrow money to pay bills and stopped paying its city officials.